No. 14: Air Pollution -- The 2015 American Lung Association's State of the Air report ranked the Sacramento fourteenth for short-term particulate pollution. The Fresno-Madera area had the worst air in this category.
Jose VillegasThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Best Affordable Cities Near Wine Country-- Redfin and Food & Wine magazine teamed up to determine the 10 most affordable cities located near prime wine-making/wine-consuming regions. Sacramento is tops in this ranking, which uses the cost of housing as the measure of "affordability."
Andy AlfaroThe Sacramento Bee

No. 5: Bike Friendly Cities -- Taking into account the percentage of commuters who bicycle to work, the number of bike deaths per 10,000 population and per capita federal spending on bicycle/pedestrian projects, the website BetterDoctors.com determined the most bike-friendly towns. Sacramento comes in five and Portland number one.
Tim ReeseThe Sacramento Bee

No. 10: Most Hipster Cities in America -- How to measure hipster friendliness? The web site FindTheHome calculated the percentage of young adults, the number of cafes and yoga studios per 10K residents, plus the proportion of people with college degrees to determine the most hipster of cities. Not surprisingly, most on the list are college towns. Davis is number ten. Hoboken, N.J. (?) is numero uno.
Florence LowThe Sacramento Bee

No. 14: Highest Percentage LGBT Population -- Based on telephone interviews, Gallup found that (unsurprisingly) San Francisco has the highest percentage of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people on any of the 50 largest metropolitan areas. The Sacramento region is tied with several cities for the 14th spot.
Hector AmezcuaThe Sacramento Bee

No. 9: Most Termite-Infested Cities -- California and Texas MSAs dominate the Terminix Company's annual ranking of the worst metropolitan areas for termite infestation. Los Angeles and San Francisco are number one and two. The Sacramento area comes in number nine among the top 20 cities.
Andy AlfaroThe Sacramento Bee

No. 32: Job Creation -- Gallup's Job Creation Index for 2014 ranked the Sacramento region 32nd among the largest 50 metropolitan areas in the United States. Austin, Tex. and Salt Lake City tied for the top spot.
Renee C. ByerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Best Veterinary Medicine Program -- The latest U.S. News ranking of graduate schools dubbed the UC Davis vet school number tops in the nation.
Jose Luis VillegasThe Sacramento Bee

No. 12: Best Cities for STEM Pay -- SmartAsset ranked Sacramento twelfth for average pay in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professions. The Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD area was tops in the nation, beating out San Francisco which came in second.
Manny CrisostomoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 8: Most Physically Active U.S. Cities -- According to the BetterDoctor.com Active City Index, Sacramento ranked the 8th most “physically active” city in the nation. Criteria in the study included access to parks and percentage of residents who exercise and stay at a healthy weight.
Manny CrisostomoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 143: Best Cities for Female Executives -- A nationwide study of the percentage of companies which have at least one woman in executive positions put Sacramento 143rd in its ranking of 12,000 U.S. cities. Six Silicon Valley towns (led by number two Palo Alto) were ranked in the top 50 by the survey, conducted by Infogroup Targeting Solutions.
Owen BrewerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 13: Healthiest Cities in America -- Sacramento was ranked 13th most healthy city by BetterDoctor.com. The consumer healthcare site considered such criteria as exercise rates, doctor ratings, and percentage of residents with health insurance. Boston came in first in the study; Milwaukee dead last.
Lezlie SterlingThe Sacramento Bee

No. 4: Airport Customer Service -- Based on passenger satisfaction surveys, Airports Council International ranked Sacramento International Airport fourth in customer service in a field of 280 participating airports in North America.
Paul Kitagaki Jr.The Sacramento Bee

No. 6: Cities with the Most Expensive Car Insurance -- Measured in terms of percent over the nationwide average annual cost of auto insurance, the Sacramento region came in sixth in a study conducted by the research firm InsuranceQuotes.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 9: Top Public Universities -- Using a wide range of factors such as graduation rate, financial aid availability, variety of academic offerings and faculty strength, U.S. News ranked UC Davis in the 2015 top ten list of public (national) universities and colleges.
Hector AmezcuaThe Sacramento Bee

No. 6: Best Cities to Be a Real Estate Agent -- SmartAsset.com considered four factors: home turnover rate, percent change in median sales price, number of homes sold per agent and median real estate agent salary to determine the best places to work as a realtor. With its 22 percent jump in home prices (2013 to 2014), Sacramento ranked number six in the top ten places.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 46: Best Cancer Hospitals -- UC Davis Medical Center is nationally ranked among the top hospitals specializing in cancer treatment, according to the 2012-13 Best Hospitals survey compiled by U.S. News & World Report.
Staff PhotoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Best Cycling Towns -- Davis is tops for biking as judged by the USA Today Readers' Choice contest. Sacramento comes in ninth in the top ten list.
Tim ReeseThe Sacramento Bee

No. 5: Best Cities for Pet Lovers -- Using a variety of metrics, including vet costs, pet businesses per capita, good weather, pet-friendly parks and trails, WalletHub found Sacramento to be the fifth best place for pet owners out of a field of 100 large cities.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 10: Ten Best Midsize Cities to Raise Children -- Judged by crime rate, school performance, parks, household income and cost of living, the website MyLife.com ranked Elk Grove among the ten best midsize cities for raising kids.
Lezlie SterlingThe Sacramento Bee

No. 14: America's Coolest Cities -- How do you measure the "coolness" of a city? Forbes magazine did it with a variety of quantitative factors: arts-culture, diversity and recreation indices; local food; population percentage of young adults; and net migration. Sacramento comes in 14th and Washington, D.C., surprisingly, is tops in the ranking.
Autumn CruzThe Sacramento Bee

No. 15: Best Places for STEM Graduates -- Factoring in average wage, median rent and percentage of overall jobs, the website NerdWallet found the Sacramento MSA 15th for best places of graduates in the STEM (science, technology engineering and math) fields.
Manny CrisostomoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 10: Least Stressed-Out Cities -- With the shortest average work week of 55 metro areas, short commutes and a healthy lifestyle, Sacramento was ranked 10th in CNN Money's list of the least-stressed cities. One thing that stresses the capital city: relatively high unemployment.
Jose Luis VillegasThe Sacramento Bee

No. 8: Best Cities for Cats -- Judged by a wide variety of factors, such as: vets, pet stores and shelters per capita; traffic score; number of cat events; and number of bird species, the real estate site Movoto ranked Sacramento eighth in the top ten cat-friendly places.
Sue MorrowThe Sacramento Bee

No. 7: Public Park Access and Spending -- The Trust for Public Land ranked Sacramento seventh among 60 of the largest cities in terms of public access to parks and government investment in those parks.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 10: American Fitness Index -- The American College of Sports Medicine ranked Sacramento tenth on its American Fitness Index that covered the 50 largest metropolitan areas. Researchers looked at many factors, including personal health behaviors, chronic health problems, as well as recreational facilities, park-related expenditures, and physical education requirements. Number one in the study was the Minneapolis metro area.
Leilani HuThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Top Family-Friendly Places to Fish & Boat -- For its convenient location, abundance of fish, amenities and other qualities, Lake Berryessa is dubbed the number one spot for family recreation by the Take Me Fishing website.
Paul McHugh

No. 23: Most Dangerous Cities for Pedestrians -- The Sacramento-Arden Arcade-Roseville population area came in at No. 23 in a “pedestrian danger index” from Smart Growth America.
Staff PhotoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 52: World University Rankings -- UC Davis tied with Brown University and Kyoto University for the 52nd spot in the 2013-14 World University Rankings. The global survey judges institutions by evaluating "teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook."
Paul KitagakiThe Sacramento Bee

No. 11: Most Pampered Pet Cities -- Based on per capita sales of pet-related products, the retail giant Amazon ranked Sacramento 11th among cities of more than 400,000 population.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 5: High Ozone Days -- In its 2014 State of the Air report the American Lung Association ranked Sacramento fifth among 277 metropolitan areas for the number of high ozone days. The Los Angeles-Long Beach region came in tops.
Paul KitagakiThe Sacramento Bee

Among the Top 15: U.S. Hospital Systems -- Sutter Health’s Sacramento Sierra Region was recognized as one of the top U.S.health systems for 2014 by Truven Health Analytics. The Truven study "analyzed data from more than 300 organizations and singled out 15 hospital systems that achieved superior clinical outcomes based on a composite score of eight measures of quality, patient perception of care and efficiency."
Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

No. 13: Migration Destinations -- U-Haul's 2013 National Migration Trend Report ranked Sacramento ninth in its list of the top 50 destinations for movers renting the company's trucks. Houston, for the second year in a row, was number one.
Bryan PatrickThe Sacramento Bee

No. 2: Open Cities -- Sacramento is the second most transparent city, according to the U.S. City Open Data Census, which ranks city governments for easy public access to data and documents, including such things as city contracts, budget numbers, 311 call data and police statistics, campaign finance data, property information, restaurant health inspections, etc.
Renee C. ByerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 99: Allergy Capitals -- Measured by pollen score, use of allergy medicines and the number of allergists per capita, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked Sacramento 99 out of 100 in its 2013 survey of the worst cities for allergies.
Jose Luis VillegasThe Sacramento Bee

No. 97: Labor Market for Young Adults -- Using a number of measures -- "employment rates, labor force underutilization, unemployment, and year-round joblessness" -- a Brookings study ranked the Sacramento region 97th out of the largest 100 labor markets for young adults, 20-24.
Jay MatherThe Sacramento Bee

No. 41: Best Business Schools -- The Graduate School of Management at University of California, Davis earned the 41st spot in the latest U.S. News college rankings. The survey took into consideration factors such as student performance, quality assessment surveys by recruiters and peers and job placement success.
Anne Chadwick WilliamsThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Teaching/Research in Agriculture/Forestry -- QS World University Rankings anointed UC Davis the top school for research and teaching in agriculture and forestry.
Brian BaerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 21: Yuppie Price Index -- Looking at the relative cost of such things as pedicures, massages, yoga classes, health clubs and other services, the website Locality developed a price index for young urban professionals. Sacramento ranks 21st among the top 30 DMAs. San Francisco is number one.
Paul KitagakiThe Sacramento Bee

No. 40: America's Most Literate Cities -- Factoring six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources, Central Connecticut State University found Sacramento be the 40th most literate city in the nation. Number one in 2013 was Washington, D.C.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 9: Pot-Friendly Cities -- Looking at a variety of factors, including state laws and the number of dispensaries, head shops and residents with medical marijuana cards, the real estate website Movoto dubbed Sacramento the ninth "highest" city in the country.
Jose Luis VillegasThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Top 30 Coffees of 2013-- Coffee Review gave top honors to Temple Coffee and Tea's "Ethiopia Yirgacheffe ECX." The online publication's ranking is "based on quality (represented by overall score), value (reflected by most affordable price per pound), and a ranking of other factors that include distinctiveness of style, uniqueness of origin or tree variety, certification, and general rarity."
Michael JonesThe Sacramento Bee

No. 13: NBA's Most Affordable Home Games -- By calculating the median cost of tickets, beer, soda, hot dogs and parking for a family of four, NerdWallet ranked the Sacramento Kings games 13th most affordable out of 30 NBA teams.
Hector AmezcuaThe Sacramento Bee

No. 16: Fastest Housing Market -- The Sacramento region was ranked the 16th speediest home-selling area among 23 major U.S. metropolitan markets that were monitored in Oct. 2013 by Redfin, the online real estate brokerage.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 6: Bike Friendly Cities -- Measured in terms of miles of bike lanes, paths and routes per square mile, Sacramento is sixth of the top ten most "bike-friendly" cities, according to data gathered by the Alliance for Biking & Walking.
Paul KitagakiThe Sacramento Bee

No. 7: Prosperity Index -- The Center Strategic Economic Research ranked the Sacramento area seventh in its 2013 Prosperity Index. The index judges a region's competitive advantage by examining a number of factors under the general topics of livability, sustainability and economic health.
Autumn CruzThe Sacramento Bee

No. 16: Best Cities for Millennials -- The website Vocativ's new Livability Index for People Under 35 considers a range of factors: employment, compensation, cost of living, plus access to conveniences like laundromats, coffee shops and live music. Sacramento ranks 16th of the 35 top cities identified by the study.
Jose Luis VillegasThe Sacramento Bee

No. 46: Best College "Bang for the Buck" -- Washington Monthly rated U.S. colleges and universities for their potential for "helping nonwealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices." UC Davis comes in 46th out of 1,572 schools.
Kevin GermanThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Happiest Workers in Mid-Size Cities -- Sacramento is tops in a CareerBliss ranking of worker satisfaction in towns between 100k and 1 million population. It's based on company reviews evaluating things like compensation, company culture and senior management.
Michael jonesThe Sacramento Bee

No. 122: Best Sports Franchises -- The Sacramento Kings came in dead last in ESPN's ranking of major league clubs in four sports: baseball, basketball, football and hockey. The magazine factored together feed fan feedback and financial efficiency to determine which teams gives fans the "most bang for the buck."
Jose Luis VillegasThe Sacramento Bee

This new two-story home in Folsom has won top honors from green building and energy efficiency, a designation as LEED Platinum from the US. Green Building Council. It has a bank of solar panels on its back roof. Folsom builder Robert Walter began building the home last summer in partnership with SMUD, which called it the "House of the Future."
Anne Chadwick WilliamsThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Most Amazing High School Campuses In The World -- BestEducationDegrees.com dubbed Sacramento's Inderkum High School the best campus architecture for its beauty and eco-friendly design.
Autumn CruzThe Sacramento Bee

No. 5: Urban Gardening -- A new study by financial literacy and consumer advocacy website NerdWallet shows Sacramento ranking fifth in the United States for "Best Cities for Urban Gardening." Released this week, the study rated Washington, D.C., on top followed by Las Vegas, Phoenix and Seattle.
Hector AmezcuaThe Sacramento Bee

No. 23: National Universities -- Rating colleges in terms of Social Mobility, Research and Public Service, Washington Monthly ranked UC Davis 23rd among U.S. universities.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 11: Best City Bike Paths -- The Active Times web site included the 32-mile American River Bike Trail in its list of the top 19 urban bike paths.
Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

No. 24: Average Cost of Baby's First Year -- Analyzing the additional expense in five categories (housing, childcare, healthcare, baby items and energy), the real estate site Redfin ranked cities by the affordability of raising a child in its his/her first year. Sacramento came in 24th with an estimated cost of $26,300.
Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

No. 9: Funniest cities in America -- Based on its comedy clubs and comedy festival, the real estate site Movoto put Sacramento in the top ten funniest cities.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 4: America's Greenest Colleges -- In 2013, The Sierra Club dropped UC Davis from number one to number four in its annual ranking of commitment to the environment and sustainability. The group judged campuses by 11 criteria including teaching, research, energy use, transportation, planning and investing.
Andy AlfaroThe Sacramento Bee

No.3: Most Expensive Airports -- First quarter 2013 data released by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics shows Sacramento International Airport is 73rd in a ranking of major aiports by average per passenger fare. Huntsville, Ala., is tops.
Dick SchmidtThe Sacramento Bee

No. 10: Unfriendliest Cities -- Readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine ranked Sacramento the tenth most unfriendly city in the country. One reader commented that it’s a “bit dingy, for being capital of such a beautiful state” and labeled the city as “not very impressive or classy or interesting.”
Hector AmezcuaThe Sacramento Bee

No. 16: Best Cities for Employment Satisfaction -- Based on surveys on compensation, benefits, management, local quality of life and other factors, Glassdoor ranked Sacramento 16th among the largest 50 cities for employee satisfaction.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 2: Electric Utility Customer Satisfaction -- J.D. Power found SMUD to be number two in a survey of residential customer satisfaction among large electric utilities in the western states.
Leilani HuThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Most Valuable Minor League Baseball Team -- Valued at $38 million, Forbes dubbed the River Cats the most valuable minor league team.
Kim D. JohnsonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 41: Best Children's Hospital for Orthopedics -- UC Davis Medical Center ranks high nationally in a number of specialties in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. It's 41st in pediatric orthopedics.
Staff PhotoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 4: Best Cities to Be a Chicken -- The real estate site Redfin says Sacramento is the fourth best city for chickens. That's based on the number of new homes with chicken enclosures.
Lezlie SterlingThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Bedbug Calls -- Pest control company Terminix reports that Sacramento showed the largest increase in customer calls about bedbugs in 2013 compared to the same period in 2012.
Centers for Disease Control/Harvard University

No. 9: Best City Fleets -- The City of Sacramento's vehicle maintenance operation was ranked number nine by the 100 Best Fleets competition. Criteria used in judging include technological innovation and fuel and cost efficiencies.
Autumn CruzThe Sacramento Bee

No. 25: Best Cities for July 4th Celebrations -- Using a variety of factors, such as food and lodging costs, weather, traffic, availability of dining and entertainment establishments, the website Card Hub ranked the Sacramento region 25th out of 30 metropolitan areas for Independence Day fun.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 10: Smartest Cities -- Luminosity, maker of brain-training games, ranked Davis the 10th "smartest" city based on the cognitive performance scores of over 1 million customers spread across the country.
Paul KitagakiThe Sacramento Bee

No. 42: Most Educated MSA -- According to statistics compiled by the Lumina Foundation, the Sacramento area is 42nd out of the top 100 regions in terms of the percentage of adults who have earned at least a two-year college degree.
Manny CrisostomoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 2: Most Eye Healthy Cities -- A Vision Service Plan study ranked Sacramento second of 100 metropolitan areas in terms of the percentage of people who routinely get eye examinations as part of their ongoing health care. Boise is tops in the survey.
Chris CrewelThe Sacramento Bee

No. 3: Library of the Year -- The Sacramento Public Library was honored with second special mention in the 2013 Gale/Library Journal Library of the Year competition. Judges consider the facility's service philosophy and contribution to the community.
Paul KitagakiThe Sacramento Bee

No. 28: Best Cities to Work for a Small Business -- Sacramento ranked 28th of the 30 largest metro areas in CardHub's survey cities most friendly to employees working in small businesses. The website looked at factors such as the number of small businesses per capita, small business vitality, unemployment and new hire earnings.
Jose Luis VillegasThe Sacramento Bee

No. 10: Best Cities for Women in the Workforce -- Based on an analysis of women's median salaries compared to men's, NerdWallet ranked the Sacramento region 10th nationwide among large cities in its "Best Cities for Women in the Workforce" study.
Leilani HuThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Most Bikeable Neighborhoods -- Scored by such favors as bike lines, hills, destinations and road connectivity, Atlantic Cities crowned Old North Davis the number one bikeable neighborhood. Other Davis areas and some in Sacramento also made the top 25 list.
Tim ReeseThe Sacramento Bee

No. 8: Most Redneck Cities -- Judging by such diverse factors as per capita Walmart and cowboy boot stores, country radio stations, taxidermists and nearby NASCAR racetracks, Movoto ranked Sacramento eighth of the 10 most redneck cities in America.
Manyy CrisostomoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 5: Best Cities for Biking -- Judged by "miles of bike path and lanes per 100,000 people, percentage of workers who commute by bike and density of urban destinations," CreditDonkey says Sacramento is the fifth best city for cyclists.
Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

No. 15: Most Social Media Friendly Police Departments -- By evaluating police use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other sites, MPHProgramsList.com ranked the Sacramento Police the 15th most social media friendly out of the largest 100 municipal departments. Dallas topped the list.
Brian BaerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 18: Best Colleges for Food in America -- According to a study by The Daily Meal, UC Davis ranks 18th of 52 campus dining programs. Food services were judged by use of healthy, local and sustainable food, as well as other factors.
Chris CrewellThe Sacramento Bee

No. 4: Best Cities for Nerds -- Factoring in such things as the number of comic book, video game, anime, and sci-fi/fantasy conventions, the number of residents per comic book and video stores, renaissance fairs, etc., the blog siteMovoto declared Sacramento the fourth best city for nerds. Atlanta, surprisingly, was number one, followed by Portland and Seattle.
Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

No. 4: Best Airport Customer Service -- Based on what travelers say about airport ambiance, service, security, parking, food, retail, bathrooms and cleanliness, Airports Council International ranked Sacramento International fourth best among U.S. airports.
Paul KitagakiThe Sacramento Bee

No. 10: Best U.S. Destinations for Your Vacation Dollar -- Sacramento placed tenth in Hotwire's 2013 True Value Index, a study of vacation destinations where visitors get the most for their money. Orlando and Atlanta came out on top.
Manny CrisostomoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Housing Inventory Contraction -- Zillow reports that Sacramento is tops among the 30 largest markets in terms of decline in housing inventory for the year-over-year period ending late Feb. 2013.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 8: Short Sale Market -- Sacramento was the nation's eighth market for short-sale home purchases in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to housing tracker RealtyTrac.
Andy AlfaroThe Sacramento Bee Staff

Among the Top 100 Hospitals -- Two local facilities are on Truven Health Analytics' list of the top hospitals in the nation. Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, made the 2013 list among top teaching hospitals, and Sutter Davis was listed in the subset of small community hospitals.
Paul KitagakiThe Sacramento Bee

Not on List: Most Miserable U.S. Cities -- For the first time since 2009, Sacramento does not appear on the Forbes list of miserable cities. Sacramento was number five in 2011 and 2012.
Anne Chadwick WilliamsThe Sacramento Bee

No. 5: Home Value Appreciation -- With a year-over-year 13.7 percent increase in home values, the Sacramento area came in fifth in home appreciation, according to data complied by the real estate website, Zillow.
Paul KitagakiThe Sacramento Bee

No. 34: Best Credit Scores -- According to TransUnion, the Sacramento region ranks 34 out of 100 metro areas in terms of average credit score. The San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara MSA took the top spot.
Owen BrewerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 25: Top Law Schools -- Based on graduate student comments and reviews, Graduateprograms.com rated UC Davis 25th in a list of the top U.S. law schools.
Paul Kitagaki Jr.The Sacramento Bee

No. 17: Top Colleges Producing Peace Corps Volunteers -- The U.S. Peace Corps announced that UC Davis is 17th nationally in the number of volunteers coming out of a single campus.
Andy AlfaroThe Sacramento Bee

In Top Ten: Best Cities for Urban Forests -- American Forests recognized Sacramento for its commitment to the ongoing health and vitality of the city's trees. Criteria includes excellent civic engagement, planning, management and accessibility.
Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

No. 9: Most Frugal City -- Measured by its total coupon use, the website Coupons.com ranked Sacramento the ninth most frugal city.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 41: Largest Transit Agencies -- With 33,191.5 unlinked passenger trips in 2010, the American Public Transportation Association ranked Sacramento 41 out of thee 50 largest transit systems in the country.
Paul Kitagaki Jt.The Sacramento Bee

No. 18: Worst Run Cities in America -- Taking into consideration several city management, overall economic and other quality of life measures, the website 24/7 Wall St. ranked Sacramento the 18th worst run city out of a field of 100 largest U.S. cities.
Renee C. ByerThe Sacramento Bee

Top Ten: Places to Visit (and drink in) -- On the basis of Sacramento's Midtown Cocktail Week, proximity to wine country and lively restaurant scene, Imbibe Magazine included the region in its Top Ten places to visit in 2013.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 3: Top Home Sale Market -- The real estate site Zillow ranked the Sacramento region third for home sellers. San Jose and Sacramento came in first and second in the national survey.
Lezlie SterlinglThe Sacramento Bee

No. 12: America's Dirtiest Cities -- On the basis of bad ozone and particulate air pollution, Forbes magazine dubbed the Sacramento region 12th in its list of the 20 dirtiest cities in the United States. The list is dominated by California cities with Fresno on top.
Chris CrewellThe Sacramento Bee

No. 4: Least-Busy Airports for Thanksgiving -- Reviewing flight bookings at the top 50 airports, Orbitz came up with a list of the busiest and least-busy venues for Thanksgiving travel. Sacramento International was the fourth least-busy. Most busy was O'Hare International in Chicago.
Manny CrisostomoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 2: Top Turnaround Housing Markets -- For third quarter of 2012, Sacramento emerged as the number two housing market in terms of year-over-year reduction of inventory, according to figures analyzed by Realtor.com.
Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

No. 6: Home Affordability -- Sacramento comes in sixth of 25 largest cities in the Interest.com Home Affordability Index, which is calculated by comparing an area's median home price with its median income.
Jose Luis VillegasThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Least Calamitous City -- Men's Health Magazine considered the number of major disasters, as well as total storm events, and the subsequent death, injury and property damage, to rank 100 municipalities from "least calamitous" to "most calamitous". Sacramento is the number one safe city; Oklahoma City the most dangerous.
Autumn CruzThe Sacramento Bee

No. 17: Best State University Graduation Rate -- UC Davis is the 17th best when it comes to graduation rates at 4-year public universities, according to stats compiled by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Lezlie SterlingThe Sacramento Bee

No. 4: Top 10 GTL Cities -- Based on numbers of check-ins to gyms, tanning salons, and laundromats, the location-based social media site Foursquare anoints Sacramento the fourth top GTL city.
Andy AlfaroThe Sacramento Bee

Among the 100 Best Communities for Young People -- The America's Promise Alliance doesn't rank places for the nurturing of youth, but does evaluate the best communities in the general categories of caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, effective education, opportunities to help others. Sacramento County finds a place in the list for a variety of effective governmental and non-governmental programs that serve young people.
Renee C. ByerThe Sacramento Bee

In Top 10: Unexpectedly Romantic Cities -- Cited for its "river views and earthly adventures," Yahoo! Travel included Sacramento as one of its 10 surprisingly romantic locales for couples.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 5: Most Expensive Sushi -- Based on price surveys of local restaurants, Bloomberg determined that Sacramento has the fifth most expensive sushi. New York has the most expensive.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 121: Ultimate Team Rankings -- ESPN ranked the Kings 121st out of 122 U.S. professional sports franchises in terms of a variety of criteria including fan satisfaction, quality of ownership and coaching, team performance and other factors.
Paul Kitagaki Jr.The Sacramento Bee

No. 6: Most Fun, Affordable Cities -- With 188 bars and restaurants and a median home price of $228,500, Sacramento's central city (zip 95814) was ranked sixth in Businessweek's listing of the most fun, affordable cities.
Renee C. ByerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 140: America's Safest Driving Cities -- Allstate Insurance Co. ranks places in terms of the frequency of collisions experienced by the average driver. Sioux Falls is tops with an auto crash every 13.8 years for the hypothetical driver. Sacramento, with 8.4 years, comes in at 140 out of 200 cities surveyed.
Florence LowThe Sacramento Bee

No. 259: Charitable Giving -- At 4 percent of household income donated to charities, the Sacramento area comes in 259 of 366 U.S. metropolitan areas, according to a study by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

No. 27: Worst Airports for Spreading Disease -- In their study of how a disease like H1N1 or SARS might spread internationally, MIT researchers examined the risk of transmitting illness at the 40 largest airports. Sacramento ranked 27th. New York JFK, Los Angeles and Honolulu Airports came in first, second and third, respectively.
Manny CrisostomoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 11: Top Metro Foreclosure Rate -- The Sacramento area has the 11th highest foreclosure rate among the nation's largest MSAs, according to the 2012 midyear report from RealtyTrac.
Paul Kitagaki Jr.The Sacramento Bee

No. 60: Worker Access to Jobs Via Public Transit -- The Brookings Institution says the Sacramento area ranks 60 out of 100 MSAs in terms of the percentage of workers who can commute to their workplaces within 90 minutes via public transit.
Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

No. 100: Top 100 Retailers -- The Raley's chain of grocery stories managed to remain in the 2012 list of the top retailers, as compiled by the National Retail Federation which used total national retail sales as measure.
Lezlie SterlingSacramento Bee Staff Photo

No. 44: America's Manliest Cities -- Sacramento comes in a weak 44rd in a manliness study of the top 50 metropolitan areas. The snack brand Combos commissioned Sperling's BestPlaces to do this dubious survey. Sperling considered various factors, including the presence or absence of "manly" sports, hobbies, occupations, retail stores, as well of the robust sale of non-nutritious snacks.
Brian BaerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 13: Vehicle Thefts -- In 2011 the Sacramento area fell from 6th to 13th place in the rate of vehicle thefts, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Fresno remained in the number one spot.
A. TambunanThe Sacramento Bee

No. 1: Most Valuable Minor League Team -- Forbes magazine reported that the Sacramento River Cats, valued at $32 million, is the most valuable team in minor league baseball.
Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

No.6: Highest Small Business Bankruptcies -- With 108 in March 2012, the Sacramento area had the sixth highest number of small bankruptcies, according to MSA-level data provided by Equifax.
Andy AlfaroThe Sacramento Bee

No. 38: Small Business Friendly Cities -- Thumbtack.com, in conjunction with the Kauffman Foundation, conducted a national survey to rank larger cities for their friendliness to small business. The study asked about taxation, licensing, zoning, regulation and other factors. Sacramento came in last at number 38.
Carl CostasThe Sacramento Bee

No. 9: California's Friendliest Cities -- According to the "Friendship Index" developed by the social network Tagged, Sacramento is ninth of the state's ten largest cities in terms of "friend requests, virtual gift giving and other expressions of adoration."
Florence LowThe Sacramento Bee

America’s Favorite Farmers Markets -- The Davis Farmers Market was among the nation's top large-size markets in a popularity contest conducted by the American Farmland Trust
Anne Chadwick WilliamsThe Sacramento Bee

No. 15: Best Places for New College Graduates -- Using such factors such unemployment rate, salary levels and housing costs, The Atlantic Cities ranked the Sacramento area 15th among major metros for recent college graduates.
Manny CrisostomoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 453: Best High Schools -- Davis High School was ranked 453rd among the top 4,877 secondary schools in the nation, according to the 2012 U.S. News & World Report compilation. DHS was 84th among California schools.
Bart Ah YouThe Modesto Bee

No. 4: Fastest-Growing Cities for Technology Jobs -- The Dice report says Sacramento is the fourth fastest growing city for tech jobs. That's based on the number of jobs postest by zip code in March 2012 compared to march 2011. Raleigh, N.C., is first.
RBenton@sacbee.com

No. 11: Best Cities for Women -- Sacramento ranks 11th out of the 25 most populous metros for the well-being of women, according to Measure of America. The research group used women's educational attainment, life expectancy and median income in its scoring.
Laura ChunThe Sacramento Bee

No. 6: Highest Foreclosure Rate -- The research company RealtyTrac found the Sacramento area to have the sixth highest foreclosure rate among U.S. metros with at least 200,000 population.
Michael A. JonesThe Sacramento Bee

No. 89: Most e-Literate Cities -- Judging by the number of Kindles and other e-readers put up for resale, Priceonomics ranked Sacramento 89th of 94 cities for their "e-literacy." Lexington, Ky. was tops. Fresno came in last.
Associated Press

No. 13: Vehicle Injury Crash Rating -- The state Office of Traffic Safety determined that Sacramento had the worst injury crash record of the 13 largest California cities. The study considered per capita injury and fatality crashes, alcohol-related crashes, and injuries involving pedestrians and bicyclists.
Carl CostasThe Sacramento Bee

No. 31: Overall Health -- A county-level survey by the University of Wisconsin ranked Sacramento County 31st in the state in overall health. The study looked at a variety of factors, including health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment. Placer came in 4th, Yolo 7th and El Dorado 9th.
Andy AlfaroThe Sacramento Bee

No. 8: Most Stressful Cities -- Sperling’s BestPlaces, a research firm specializing in livability rankings, analyzed a variety of factors (including suicide, divorce, alcohol use, crime, joblessness and lengthy commuting) to determine the most stressful U.S. metropolitan areas. Sacramento landed in the top ten (#8) with Tampa, Fla. leading the list.
Paul Kitagaki Jr.The Sacramento Bee

No. 23: Most Valuable NBA Team -- According to Forbes magazine, the Sacramento Kings rates a paltry 23 out of 30 professional basketball teams in terms of value. The magazine estimates the Kings 2011 value at $300 million, up two percent from the previous year. The Los Angeles Lakers are tops at $900 million, up 40 percent from 2010.
Michael A. JonesThe Sacramento Bee

No. 20: Best Values in Public Colleges -- Klipinger Magazine compared measures of academic quality against the cost of attending the institution and found that UC Davis was the 20th best value for in-state students and 22nd for out-of-state ones. The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill was number one for both types of students.
Paul Kitagaki Jr.The Sacramento Bee

No. 20: Most Handsome City-- Ranked 20 of 20 major cities, a Living Social survey of residents found Sacramento to have the least attractive men. (Only 23 percent agreed with the statement "men in my city are handsome.") On the other hand, the same study ranked Sacramento the 15th vainest city.
Michael A. JonesThe Sacramento Bee

No. 99: Best Business Cities -- Sacramento scored 99th out of 102 metro areas in the Wall Street Journal MarketWatch ranking of the best cities for business. The publication considered business concentration, unemployment, job growth, population growth, personal income and local economic output in its tabulations.
Manny CrisostomoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 24: Walkability -- Using an algorithm that measures foot traffic proximity to amenities, the advocacy group Walk Score ranked Sacramento 24th out of the 50 largest cities for walkability.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 47: America's Luckiest Cities -- Using a variety of stats: lottery and sweepstake winnings, golf holes-in-one, lightening strike deaths, etc, Men's Health magazine determined that Sacramento was the 47th luckiest out of the largest 100 U.S. cities. San Diego is the most blessed.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 21: Most Dangerous Areas for Pedestrians -- Comparing the number of pedestrian deaths against overall population, the advocacy group Transportation for America ranked Sacramento the 21st most dangerous metro area for walkers.
Jay MatherThe Sacramento Bee

No. 20: America's Most Caffeinated Cities -- Based on a survey of coffee shop sales, the National Coffee Association concluded that Sacramento is the 20th most caffeinated city. Chicago beat out New York for the top spot. Seattle, home of Starbucks, is number three.
Anne Chadwick WilliamsThe Sacramento Bee

No. 19: Dining Scene Satisfaction -- Sacramento was second to the bottom in a Living Social survey of 20 metropolitan dining scenes. Consumers were asked about their dining habits, favorite food choices and how they rank their city's overall food scene. New York had the most satisfied diners.
Leilani HuThe Sacramento Bee

No. 30: Most Generous Tippers -- Sacramento at 18.7 percent was slightly below the national average of 19.2 percent in Zagat's survey of tipping rates in 31 restaurant markets. New Orleans was tops at 19.7 percent.
Owen BrewerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 13: Most Protective Parents in America -- Judged by how many time per month the average parent checks the location of a child's cellphone, Safety, the parenting division of Location Labs, determined the 15 cities with the most protective parents. Sacramento came in 13th. Los Angeles number one.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 12: Clean Economy Jobs -- Sacramento is 12th out of 100 metropolitan areas in terns of the number of so-called "clean" economy jobs, according to a Brookings Institution report. The region is seventh in terms of growth of the clean job sector.
Autumn CruzThe Sacramento Bee

No. 11: Top Cities for Staying Young -- Analyzing such factors such as cholesterol, smoking, marital status, eating habits, stress, employment, social life and alcohol, Real Age magazine ranked the Sacramento metro area 11th as a place to stay youthful. The San Francisco Bay Area scored best.
Lezlie SterlingThe Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO, CA - JUNE 2 : A morning commuter ride his bike across the Sutterville Road Overpass above bumper-to-bumper traffic driving on I-5 north for the first day of the morning commute with the closure of I-5 northbound lanes on June 2, 2008 in Sacramento, California. Sacramento Bee Photo / Paul Kitagaki Jr. pkitagaki@sacbee.com Big Fix
Sacramento Bee Staff Photo

No. 11: America's Most Gluttonous Cities -- How do you measure gluttony? The Daily Meal looked at data from "the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control on the number of grocery stores and supermarkets per capita, the number of fast-food establishments, the number of full-service restaurants, and rates of obesity". The verdict? New York was tops among the top 20 cities. Sacramento was 11th.
Erhardt KrauseThe Sacramento Bee

No. 9: America's Pink Slip Capitals -- Forbes dubbed Sacramento the ninth worst city for pink slips based on the raw number of employees affected by mass layoffs in the first quarter of 2011. Leading the pack were Los Angeles and New York.
Brian BaerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 9: Social Media and City Government -- A University of Illinois of social media use by government ranked Sacramento nine of 75 cities in terms of online civic engagement.
Randall BentonThe Sacramento Bee

No. 8: Greenest Buildings -- In 2011 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that the Sacramento area had risen to eighth place in the number of energy-efficient buildings. Los Angeles was tops with 510 Energy Star certified structures. Sacramento had 168.
Lezlie SterlingThe Sacramento Bee

No. 7: Cities with the Happiest Young Professionals -- According to the online site Careerbliss.com Sacramento ranked ninth among 20 cities said to be the happiest for young professionals (defined as workers with less than 10 years’ experience in a full-time job). The survey judged workplace happiness in terms of growth opportunities, compensation, benefits, work-life balance, career advancement, senior management, job security and other factors. Topping the list was Redmond, Wash. (home of Microsoft).
Autumn CruzThe Sacramento Bee

No. 7: California's Top Solar Cities -- In terms of solar electric capacity, Sacramento is 7th among California cities, according to a study by the research group Next 10.
Andy AlfaroThe Sacramento Bee

No. 6: Best City to Trick-or-Treat -- The online real estate site Zillow ranked Sacramento 6th among the 20 best cities for Halloween trick-or-treaters. Zillow looked at walkability scores, crime data, housing values and population density.
Dick SchmidtThe Sacramento Bee

No. 6: America's Worst Cities for Finding a Job -- With 2.7 job seekers per online job listing, Sacramento is the sixth worst metro area for finding employment, according to a Forbes survey. Miami is the worst city with 4.37 seekers per posting.
Paul Kitagaki Jr.THe Sacramento Bee

No. 5: Best U.S. Airports for Tech Travelers -- Based on the tech-friendly features of its new Terminal B, PC World ranked Sacramento International number five in the top 20 airports for gadget-carrying flyers.
Staff PhotoThe Sacramento Bee

Shuffleboard, a sport of senior citizens on cruise ships, also has a state-of-the-art home in the Mission Oaks Park District, October 20, 2005. Sacramento Bee/ Florence Low
Sacramento Bee Staff Photo

No. 1: Top Digital Cities -- Roseville's municipal government was judged the best for technology adoption among cities of comparable size. The Center for Digital Government ranked cities on a formula based in part on the use of technology, operating efficiencies and meeting goals in the current economic climate.
Manny CrisostomoThe Sacramento Bee

No. 98: Collegiate Power Rankings -- UC Davis is 98th in a comprehensive athletic/academic ranking of Division I, II and III colleges and universities, according to the National Collegiate Scouting Association. UCD is 49th among the Division I schools. NCSA averaged the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup score, the NCAA student-athlete graduation rate and the U.S. News & World Report academic ranking.
Brian BaerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 3: Fastest-Growing New Car Markets -- In terms of percent change in the number of new car registrations, Edmunds.com ranks Sacramento the third fastest growing new car market in 2010-11 (January thru July). Atlanta is number one.
Florence LowThe Sacramento Bee

No. 44: Best Cities for Auto Repair -- Using undercover shoppers, AutoMD.com judged the largest 50 cities for fairness in car repair pricing. Memphis ranked as the best city for price fairness and consistency. Chicago ranked the worst. Sacramento came in 44th.
John DeckerThe Sacramento Bee

No. 72: Asthma Capitals -- Looking at a variety of factors such as pollen, air quality, smoking laws, morbidity and mortality stats, medication use and access to specialist care, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked the 100 most challenging places to live with asthma. Richmond was No. 1 and, surprisingly, Sacramento ranked 72nd.
Sacramento Bee Staff Photo

Sacramento’s animal shelters bested 35 other communities across the nation last weekend in their efforts to find permanent homes for cats, dogs and other creatures.

The Sacramento SPCA, Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary, Sacramento County Animal Care and the city’s Front Street Shelter collaborated to complete adoptions of 526 animals last weekend, more than any other community that took part in the ASPCA’s “Mega Match” event.

Pets were available for just $20, and the shelters promoted the campaign heavily on Facebook and other social media platforms, as well as traditional media.

“It just shows how much can be accomplished when a community’s resources are aligned and motivated,” ASPCA president and CEO Matthew Bershadker in a statement.

Cities across the country participated, including Philadelphia, where participating shelters found homes for 340 animals; and the KC Pet Project in Kansas City, which completed adoptions on 228 animals.

Despite the “incredible success” in Sacramento, said SPCA spokeswoman Lesley Kirrene, shelters already are full again with pets in need of homes.